80 series overheating problem

Check the viscous fan is doing its job properly....pretty common and easy to fix.

How long has it been overheating....can it be linked to any event eg: parts changed or added.

How long since the radiator was flushed (hope you haven't mixed coolants).

Bit more info please...if you could.
Cheers...Fab-io

We had the same trouble with the viscous fan in Kununurra in 2001.
We'd had it checked before we left Vic for our long service leave. It was supposed to be fine.
You wouldn't believe what we were told in Kununurra.
Wrecked our long service leave.
After we had it floated home. It was the Viscous Fan & a very common problem with this vehicle, ours is the same. We swapped mechanics
There is a special test which can be done by a good mechanic with a piece of cardboard.
I'm told that a Turbo will make a diesel engine run hotter too.
Where are you?
Take care, safe travels & may 2014 be good to you. Ma.

Are you losing water?
Are there bubbles appearing in the radiator when the cap is off?

Hi thank you all for the replies, the fan was serviced and as was the radiator( new 4 core) 18mths ago, they have been towing a 20' van for the first time since November 2013. hence the heating problem has started since then.

hi vehicle is a manual, and has only overheated since towing the van

hi , radiator only recently upgraded to fix the overheating problem

Hi Judy and Laurie.

You say the overheating only started when towing the van. I would say that it is normal for a vehicle to run hotter when working harder such as towing although most probably only as much as 5 deg higher.

The same applies for changes in ambient temperature. For example traveling around NSW in temperatures of about 25 degs with no towing then take your van to Darwin where temps are about 35 you could easily see a change in engine temperature from 85 degs to 90 degs or more.

So the question I would ask is what is the engine temperature when you say overheating. IE is it boiling or just increasing in temperature a little? and under what conditions.

The factory gauges of all makes will show a marked increase of temp about 8º hotter than normal. They are designed to barely move in normal driving even though the engine will get hotter and cooler. This is designed so drivers don't freak every time a hill is driven or descended. You could fit an aftermarket degrees gauge to see if it is actually getting hot. Keep in mind that it is a presurised system and the boiling point is above 100º. Having said all that my money is on the viscous fan or the fuel set too high when the turbo was fitted.

Agree tourboy

I fitted an Engine watchdog with engine and trans temp to my Pajero. Dash gauge reads normal between 55c to 100c !!!! My radiator with glycol and pressure cap is set for 117c. I now have piece of mind in hot conditions Best accessory I have purchased !!!
Trust ur dashboard gauge at ur own peril
Cheers
Greg

Hi I used to look after these trucks in the mines and they were very reliable machines. None of the mine vehicles were turbo'd though and have only come in contact with one since leaving the mines and it was having no problems but only towing a camper.
Just a few thoughts, when they fitted the turbo did they upgrade the exhaust system, the bigger the exhaust the more the turbo likes it. But if there is restriction this can hold back the hot exhaust gasses and cause overheating. Did they fit an intercooler? if so I would expect an aftermarket radiator would have been fitted with electric fans for extra cooling, if so are they working? (they would be controlled by an electrical thermostat switch).
An additional suggestion is to change the thermostat in the engine cooling system, they don't cost a lot and they can be tricky to diagnose when they are faulty. If you wish to test the old one heat it up in water and observe at what temp it starts to open and what temp it fully opens (the temps will be in a workshop manual) this will tell you if it was faulty.
Hope this helps.

Mal

When its running warm quickly pull up. Pop the bonnet and shut it down while you can see the fan
The fan should be vusciusly locked and should give no more than a few spins before stopping.
If it sits there spinning away after the motors shut down its shagged

I had that issue with my 80 as well. The temp gauge used to go right to the top towing a camper trailer up prolonged steady inclines.

It seemed to be a combination of things.

I re-oiled the viscous hub, no change.

The biggest factor was that the original radiator was right on the edge of its performance capabilities. I should have upgraded the radiator.

Contributing factors:
The intercooler was in front of the radiator, and
The top and bottom hoses were old and got sucked flat restricting water flow.

Just a couple things to consider,,, most aftermarket turbo fitters simply screw the fuel up which is fine for normal driving but without actually having the auto advance tweaked and timing to suit turbo which is done on a bench it is a crude compromise and under extreme load over fuels slightly however if its not actually boiling and when you coast downhill the temp comes down quickly you will probably find the super reliable factory guage although it goes up a fair whack may only be registering 5 degrees,,, you need a reliable aftermarket guage and if your pump ever needs doing and you remove it yourself make sure they know its running a turbo and they will set it up accordingly. I too have 1HZ with aftermarket turbo (HZJ75) and I was concerned about guage movements until I got an aftermarket guage. My factory guage shows less than 1/4 on coasting downhills, just under 1/3 for normal flat driving and a tad under half for heavy load. My normal road weight in its std trim is around 2.7T

You can try this trick....a mate has thesame issue, and to prove it was the fan, i gave him an old electric fan from a commodore, and he mounted it between the radiator and grill.
It proved his viscous fan wasnt working properly, so he went and got it serviced, but wouldnt give me back my fan because the air conditioning was working so much better aswell....might make all the difference to your issue.